Tygers Of Pan Tang
Back & Beyond

Who would have ever thought that more than thirty years after their debut someone would still remember them. The Tygers of Pan Tang were one of the many bands that emerged in the late seventies from the cauldron of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, a musical movement that began from the collapse of the punk phenomenon and sought to refresh the old British tradition for hard rock.

Some of those groups over the years would become real champions (who said Iron Maiden?), others, through ups and downs, would lead very good careers (Saxon), but many of them were completely forgotten. Angel Witch, Cloven Hoof, Holocaust, Tysondog, Grim Reaper, all groups today mentioned only by a few fan-atics or whose memory is exclusively tied to a single album (can anyone name an Angel Witch album other than their debut?).

In the gigantic cauldron mentioned above, among the many, and it must be said, among the most promising, there were also them, the Tygers of Pan Tang, protagonists, thanks to their first two excellent albums, of a metallized hard rock of absolute class, well played and personal. Apparently, with albums like "Spellbound" (1981) under their belt, the doors to success should not have been opened but flung wide open. Instead, shortly after, partly due to a couple of less fortunate albums, the band disappeared. Not considering a questionable reunion in an AOR key in the mid-eighties, the name would only start circulating again in the early 2000s, thanks to the tenacity of historical founder Rob Weirr, now more devoted to the dear old heavy metal for passion rather than any real economic return. The true spark, however, that would really have reignited their career came some time later when it was announced that a young Italian singer, Jacopo Meille, already behind the microphone with Mantra, would become the new voice of the band, replacing yet another defector. And with Meille's addition, the group finally manages to find new stability, not only in terms of lineup but also organizationally, with consistent tours (for once even in Italy) and valuable releases, which over the years have once again given shine to a name as historic as it is underrated.

And as Weirr and company enjoy their newfound popularity with the fresh release of "Ambush" and more than positive reviews, it is interesting, for once, not to listen again to the usual "Spellbound" but to go and dust off that EP that kicked off the group's current course, a minor release, if you will, but still noteworthy in this context. Sold only at concerts and on the official website at the time, "Back & Beyond" had the merit of bringing the band's name back to circulation even at a discographic level, after some early 2000s albums went rather unnoticed. Five tracks for twenty minutes of music, with two appetizers from what would be "Animal Instinct" the following year and three rescues from the golden period. Without emphasizing how the more recent tracks hold their own nicely alongside the classics of the past, it is instead interesting to spend a few words on the re-reading of the older pieces. Supported by a lineup of high-class professionals and, it must be said, by excellent, clean yet not "slick" production, the songs gain new life, thanks also to arrangements that cater to Meille's more hard rock-oriented voice, surely less "screamer" and more "bluesman" than his (many) predecessors. If on one hand, listening to the album, it is certainly clear that you're not dealing with the new arrivals, independently of the many lineup changes, on the other it is clear the desire to rise to the challenge, not to go around playing the old glories for the benefit of nostalgics, but to reclaim the best moments of their career and lay the foundations for a new one, possibly richer in satisfaction.

"Live for the Day" opens the new course of the band with powerful and melodic hard rock, with Meille proving himself behind the microphone, aware that such an opportunity rarely comes twice. The fact that, apart from the voice, the other musicians had been playing together for almost ten years is apparent, with two guitars always in the spotlight (even if the pairing Weirr/Sykes might remain unmatched) and an absolutely valuable rhythm section. "Hellbound", a heavy shard in '81, in 2007 seems to have just come out of a Whitesnake album, with a bass that is always present and pulsing, for once not drowned out by guitars and double bass drum. The delve into history continues with "Rock & Roll Man", directly from their 1980 debut, and "Take It", which originally featured another great voice, Jon Deverill, another musician who deserved much better fortune. And in light of the closing track, "Bury the Hatchet", it is clear what the current path of the Tygers intends to be: if they were already the protagonists of very metallic hard rock in the eighties, having now reached artistic maturity they can shed the guise of "metallers at all costs" and completely unleash their rock vein, also thanks to a singer who has well learned the lesson from the likes of Plant and Coverdale, with fewer heavy guitars and more melody.

We are therefore faced with Tygers of Pan Tang who are surely different from those in history, but certainly equally valid, and it's gratifying to see how, following this album, the five would unexpectedly embark on a downhill path, filled with great albums and recognition, evident proof that, for once, passion and quality can pay off.